Jake Gyllenhaal Will Star in ‘Road House’ Remake
Pain still don’t hurt.
After first getting mentioned as a possibility last fall, it now looks official: The ’80s camp classic Road House is getting a remake, and it will star Jake Gyllenhaal in the role originally made famous by the late, great Patrick Swayze. The remake will be directed by Doug Liman, whose credits include The Bourne Identity, Edge of Tomorrow, Go, and Swingers.
Per The Hollywood Reporter, “the project [is] being developed by MGM, which held the rights to the movie and had long considered the IP for remake potential.” Then Amazon bought MGM a few months ago, so now the Road House remake is definitely happening as an original movie for Amazon’s Prime Video streaming service.
Amazon Studios’ Jennifer Salke said of the new Road House, “Not only is it a nod to fans of the original, but it is also a big, fun, broad audience movie.”
And what of the original? Released in 1989, the film starred Swayze as the world’s greatest badass and the world’s most meatheaded philosopher, who works as a “cooler” for higher; basically a bouncer who travels from bar to bar, getting rid of riff raff. It was basically the original Bar Rescue, but instead of changing the menu or the decor, Swayze kicked dudes in the face without a shirt on. It’s an extremely silly concept, but it’s also extremely entertaining.
Will this work as a movie in 2022 with Jake Gyllenhaal? Anything’s possible.
If you’ve never seen the original Road House or you just want to revisit the magic one more time, the film is available for rent or purchase, or you can stream it on AMC+.